Fall of Goldenrod
by TrippySkitty
Summary: When Goldenrod City is transformed into an apocalyptic wasteland by a vicious tsunami, ruthless criminals go to war for control of the city in its weakness. With police outnumbered and death tolls rising, it's up to a bubbly young rebel to turn vigilante and uncover the tsunami mystery with the help of a PC hacking genius infamous for flaunting enemy secrets and stealthy thieving.
1. Chapter 1

Fall of Goldenrod

CHAPTER ONE

The rapidly-beating heart of Beatrice Willows pounded against her chest like a boxing Hitmonchan as she stared down intently at the thick pocket-sized graphic novel she gripped in her hands. Trixie, as she preferred to be called, turned each page with the speed of a Rapidash, focusing on not the delicate crinkled paper she nearly tore in half with each hasty flip nor the black faded text she could barely read but the fictional world in which she was completely immersed in. Frantic shouting and the smoky scent of fiery explosions traveled on a light spring breeze through her open window from the Azalea Town gym next door, but she paid these distractions no attention. She was far more concerned with whether the superhero Gligar-man would be able to defeat Giggles the evil Mr Mime, until her Pokégear rang off and shattered her focus. She pondered whether or not to ignore the incoming call and continue reading, but neither the shrill ringing of the device nor her conscience would allow her to focus again until the call had been answered.

Picking it up, she cringed when she saw the words "Cameron: Photographer" above the unfamiliar Pokégear number. She sighed and reluctantly answered the crazy man's call.

"My Pokémon and I already bought a bazillion pics, we don't want anymore!" she snapped. "And we don't wanna be stalked everywhere we go by a bald Pokéfan either, no matter how 'photogenic' we just so happen to be!"

"Well, aren't _you_ a shy one." Cameron replied. "But that's not why I called. You know all the damage from the Goldenrod tsunami?"

Trixie scowled at the question. "Well duh, we lived there. But lemme guess… you're taking more _traumatizing_ photos of it all and trying to sell them to me."

"Maybe…" he said quietly, "okay, yes. I was in the middle of doing so when I saw a group of thieves barge into the Underground Path. I know you've been doing a lil' vigilante justice in your hometown, so I figured you might want to know about this."

Trixie arched an eyebrow. "Hey, how do you know what I've….Oh forget it, don't answer that! I'm on my way. Geez. Until I get there, do _not_ go near the thieves and do _not_ ask them for pictures! Got it?"

Cameron began to ramble on excitedly about how photogenic these people were, but fearing the thugs would raid the tunnel and be done by the time he had stopped talking, Trixie rolled her hazel eyes and hung up.

Knowing that the die-hard photographer would disregard everything she previously said, Trixie forced herself to close the book she had been reading mid-chapter and visit the ruins of what still was her favorite city on earth. After laying the book down gently on her unmade bed, Trixie tromped over video game cases, empty soda cans and other miscellaneous clutter that littered her bedroom floor until she finally made it to her dresser where countless glittery Pokéballs lined with silver studs sat perfectly arranged and grouped by their bright neon colors. She pondered which to take and once she had decided she attached the legal limit of six Pokéballs to her belt loops and concealed a few others away in the cozy pockets of her Pokéball-print varsity half-jacket.

Once she had finger-combed through the messy blonde waves in her long hair and pulled it all up in a high ponytail, the Johto-lover grabbed her favorite accessory and wore it with pride: a black and white ball cap with the silhouette of Ho-Oh sewn into the front. She glanced at her reflection one last time and hurried out of her upstairs bedroom but halted immediately when a sticky-note attached to her door caught her attention. Decorated cutely with pink Bloom Mail stationary, the tiny note read, "Left for another interview at the academy. If you go anywhere don't forget to lock the doors so random kids don't walk in and steal our items. Love, Mom."

Trixie simply shrugged. After losing their home in Goldenrod, her mother had also lost her job selling special ball capsules and seals in the Underground Path for Pokémon contests. Since then Trixie's mother had been trying hard to get a new job as a teacher at the academy in Violet City, but unfortunately that meant she was gone quite a lot. Trixie had been using this free time to dangerously "clean up" Goldenrod's now-crime-infested streets with her Pokémon however, and like usual she was certain she would make it back to Azalea before her mother even knew she were gone.

After zooming over Ilex Forest on the scaled back of Ollie the constantly over-excited Flygon, Trixie and her Pokémon friends had arrived in Goldenrod City within mere minutes of walking out the door of their tiny Azalea home.

After a terrifying ride on the speedy and reckless Dragon, Trixie went to dizzily hop off of him, but, like usual it ended in failure. Within seconds of the clawed toes of his long saurian legs touching the ground, Ollie had spotted a fleeing Rattata among the debris and immediately the playful chase began. Ollie stomped off in a waddle after the mouse at an unmatchable speed, causing Trixie to perform an involuntary back-flip off of him in the process and land among a pile of broken bricks and other sharp rubble.

"Ollie, no! Not again!" she called after him, "come back!" She sighed as the Dragon completely ignored her and continued darting around the city with childlike happiness and a ridiculous grin. Trixie just shook her head as she watched and was reminded by all this why she had named him Ollie and not something more serious and threatening. While he was refusing to listen to the young teen, Trixie supervised him from a distance as she searched through the molding rubble of Goldenrod for the entrance to the Underground Path.

Shattered glass and splintered boards crumbled and snapped under every step of Trixie's black-and-white Sawsbuck Tayler sneakers as she tromped through the remains of her own and over eight-million other people's pasts. She knew she was out of place in the ruins where violence was at an all-time high in the entire Johto region, but her confidence remained unshaken with her Pokémon at her side.

As she became closer to her destination: a hole in the ground scarcely covered by a detached steel door and overrun with slimy worms and shiny black beetles, Trixie whistled sharply at a last attempt to get Ollie's attention. Surprisingly it worked, and she wasted no time in returning him to his fancily-decorated lime-green Pokéball as he charged over to her. "Aw… I'm sorry Ollie," she said as she clipped the Pokéball to one of the loops of her shorts next to the other five, "but this place is too risky for playing around now."

Reaching into the warmth of her jacket pocket, Trixie pulled out a hot-pink Pokéball she had stashed away and gently pressed the round center button to release her loyal Espeon from its confinement. A blinding white light shot out from the capsule as the tall velvety cat leapt out into full view with unrivaled grace. The Espeon stood proudly and gazed into the overcast charcoal sky, and crying out a loud meow with a voice like silk, she caused the clouds to fade to a cotton-white and make way as the glowing sun emerged out of the darkness and shone light upon the lilac Pokémon and her Trainer.

Greeting her Pokémon, Trixie bent down closer to the muddy, hazardous ground and stroked her precious Espeon's giant ears and head. "Hello, beautiful!" Her fur was soft with the texture of thick velvet, so sleek and luxurious that Trixie's fingers left imprints upon its smooth, glossy surface as the Pokémon was petted. "What do you say we go make some grown men cry, hmm?" With a small, determined yowl in reply, Karma the Espeon hastily approached the fallen door and began nudging at it before Trixie even caught up to her.

"Easy, killer!" Trixie warned as she rushed to her Pokémon's side. "This freaky place isn't what it used to be, okay?" She patted her eager feline on the head before gently pushing her out of the way. With a twist of the door's handle and a quick jerk, Trixie was able to open the door upwards like a cellar. Immediately the Trainer and her Pokémon were overwhelmed with the musty, repulsive scents of wet wildly-growing mildew and stale clouds of old cigarette smoke as they drifted up the broken and unstable stairs of the Underground Path.

Karma's sensitive ears twitched and her forked tail quivered cautiously in unbreakable focus as she elegantly walked with a slow pace in front of her Trainer and they traveled down the crumbling stairs that creaked and became weaker with each of the steps the two loudly took. Before they were even half-way to the bottom, Karma's ears shot straight up and within just seconds she had charged down to the bottom of the stairs and completely out of sight.

Trixie sighed, "Oh, good grief…." The overeager cat was beginning to need a leash. She ran down the fragile steps after her Pokémon before slowing her running pace and jumping off the stairs three steps shy of the end, splashing into murky ankle-high water. Instinctively she glanced up and all around her, prepared to fight if needed, but all she saw was a long and debris-filled tunnel damaged by the tsunami and hidden in shadows.

In the past before Goldenrod's destruction, Trixie would have had to shove her way through the crazed shopping district of scammers and shady salesmen, constantly being on the lookout for lurking thieves trying to pickpocket her Pokéballs. On the many occasions that security was doing a poor job of handling the hyped-up crowds of people, she would even battle with petty thugs looking for trouble and place bets on the fight using expensive merchandise like golden nuggets. But nowadays, it was nearly pitch-black in the Tunnel without electricity pumping through the bright wall-lamps, the cheap junk from various shops was soaked with water and laid scattered along her path in ruins, and the long tunnel that used to be filled with the sounds of bustling shoppers was silenced to nothing but the lonely echoes of dripping water.

Trixie called out Karma's name in search of her hasty Pokémon, splashing through the scummy olive-colored water that created a mini-swamp in her shoes, before a blinding flash of gold light shot through the entire tunnel and nearly knocked her off her feet as she violently turned away to shield her eyes. The light then grew dimmer and dimmer with each second that passed until it provided just enough light to see.

Trixie leaned against the wall to steady herself and blink out the momentarily-blinding effects of the Flash, then looked ahead to see what she already expected she would: Karma sitting up as still and elegantly as an ancient cat statue, with her head pointed upward and a golden light beaming from her ruby-red gem to illuminate the surrounding area like a lamp without a shade. But laying pitifully next to the graceful cat was the middle-aged and rather balding photographer Cameron, bruised and beaten up without a single camera or Pokéball appearing to be on him.

"Oh, for the love of Pichu!" Trixie shouted as she ran down the tunnel to help him up, "I thought I told you not to talk! What happened to you?"

"Oh, thank goodness you're here!" Cameron shakily got to his feet and threw his arms around Trixie in an awkward hug. She cringed; she hated hugs unless they were from her Pokémon friends, and not to mention he was covered in blood and sweat. "I'm sorry I didn't listen," he said, "But the thugs I told you about… why, they were just so… _photogenic_! It was risky, but I _had_ to ask for a picture. Oh Beatrice, they just had the finest suits and shoes, and such fearsome-looking Houndour and oh, goodness, did I mention-"

"Cameron!"Trixie interrupted and took a few steps back to silently prevent any more hugs, "Learn how to focus! Are you okay? What all did they take?"

He just shook his head. "I'm fine. But they took my camera, my bag, all my Pokémon… and everything else here that wasn't already damaged."

Trixie rubbed her chin in thought. "Sounds like these goons hit the jackpot. Did you hear where they were headed?"

"No, I can't allow you to chase after them, not after seeing how strong they are! You're just too photogenic, you can't afford to be harmed! Oh, dear, what if they broke your perfect nose!? Trixie, what if-!"

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, enough of the 'photogenic' crap! Your Pokémon could be in danger and you're telling me not to go rescue them?"

"I'll report them to the police, they'll-"

Trixie cut him off mid-sentence with a scoff, "Get real! The police are useless nowadays. They're too concerned with collapsed buildings and dead people to do zip when it comes to protecting the rest of us. If you don't tell me what you know about these pathetic jerks, your Pokémon and everything else stolen will be gone for good, and you know I'm right."

Cameron sighed and hung his head. "Yes, you are. If anyone is going to save my sweet, photogenic Pidgey, I guess it ought to be you. They said something about going back to 'the shop', maybe they meant Miracle Cycle."

"Could be the flower shop, too. I mean, it's a fitting hideout for a creepy bunch of wimps." Trixie shrugged. "I'll check out both, but first you need some help. Ecruteak's not far, you can borrow Ollie and fly there."

Cameron chuckled nervously. "Ollie?"

"What's wrong with Ollie?" She asked with an innocent smile.

"He's just so… hyper. And huge! Very photogenic, but-"

"Oh, he's not that bad." she lied. "And he's a Flygon, of course he's big! Do you expect him to be Diglett sized?"

"It'd be nice, yeah."

Trixie just rolled her eyes and tossed Cameron Ollie's Pokéball, "It'll be peachy, trust me. Just keep your hands open and in sight or he'll think you're hiding berries and… well, no need to go into details!"

Cameron gulped and looked down at his fingers, wiggling them and staring with speechless worry at the small capsule he held that contained such a gigantic beast with the mind of a crazed toddler. Trixie was slightly uneasy about leaving her only flying "get-away" Pokémon with Cameron while she ventured off in search of violent thieves and their likely-vicious Houndour, but she had faith in her own Pokémon's abilities and was confident that they could take on anything. Besides, running away just wasn't their style.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The flower shop had turned up empty without even the smallest Pokémon residing in the building, so Trixie and Karma continued working their way through the streets of rubble in search of the popular bike and motorcycle shop known as Miracle Cycle. Being one of the few buildings not completely destroyed, it wasn't difficult to spot…and neither were the oversized Machoke and Primeape guarding the shop's entrance and watching intently for anyone who might pose a threat to what was obviously the gang hideout Trixie and her Pokémon had been searching for.

The two guards immediately spotted the hotshot Trainer and her loyal Espeon, and wasted no time in attacking them. The Primeape lunged off the short staircase in pursuit of Karma as the Machoke picked up a huge piece of debris nearby and flung it towards Trixie. Both attacks were just barely dodged when the two jumped out of harms way, leaving the Primeape to Karate Chop nothing but the bricked ground with such force it split like an earthquake, and the flying debris thrown by Machoke to miss Trixie and instead completely demolish the unstable balcony of an apartment building directly behind where she had been standing. The furious Machoke threw its head back in an angry roar and beat on its chest in rage, before flinging itself off the staircase and charging towards Trixie as its fist glowed white in preparation for a Dynamic Punch.

Trixie glanced over at Karma, but the Espeon was too occupied with battling the Primeape to shield her Trainer in time. Everything was moving too fast, but fortunately Trixie had just the plan to slow it down. "Karma! Quick, Trick Room!"

Dodging the Primeape's Fury Swipes, Karma pounced elegantly to the side and landed several temporarily safe feet away from the Pokémon. Her eyes began to glow a bright scarlet-red and transparent walls of blue psychic energy boxed in the large area, transforming the street into a peculiar battlefield where speeds were practically swapped and slower beings now moved first.

Standing somewhat of a chance now, Trixie just barely dodged the Machoke's attack within mere seconds of the Pokémon slamming its oversized fist into the debris-littered ground. She literally ran for her life over to the staircase and wasted no time with the crumbling stone steps, instead jumping up and pulling herself over the railing where she ripped a Pokéball from her side and threw the sparkling ruby-red capsule into the street. A bright crimson laser shot out and quickly formed into the white silhouette of a horned canine with an arrow-headed tail. The laser vanished into thin air and the silhouette began to take form, morphing into a powerful female Houndoom with a lean build and dark ebony-black fur. Standing fifty-two inches at the withers plus her head and five-inch-tall horns which were slightly curved back and colored an unblemished reflective silver, this giant canine known as Harper was Trixie's faithful companion and fearsome guardian.

The Houndoom quickly observed its surroundings and after realizing she was in a battle, the Pokémon stood tall with confidence and eagerly looked to her Trainer for a command.

"Karma, lift 'em up with Psychic! Harper, finish the job with Hyper Beam!"

The horned canine resumed her tall and confident posture and stared challengingly at the gigantic Machoke as it charged towards her and she patiently waited for the right time to attack.

Karma pounced upwards to dodge the Primeape's Low Kick before she landed back on the ground and immediately opened her mouth to use Swift. Hundreds of small but powerful star-shaped globs of energy shot out of Karma's mouth and slammed into the Primeape, knocking it back several yards and giving Karma the few seconds she needed to focus. Once again her eyes glowed a beautiful scarlet-red, but this time she wasn't using Trick Room. Both the Primeape and the Machoke became surrounded in a light blue aura and were lifted up from the ground to be placed side by side in midair, but only for mere seconds. As they were held in the sky by the Psychic power of Karma, Harper crouched down and opened her mouth wide to use Hyper Beam, sending a near-blindingly bright fiery-orange beam shooting out of her mouth and slamming into the two Fighting-types. They were knocked back several hundred feet in midair before they smacked into a large pyramid-like pile of rocky debris. The two enemies weakly got to their feet and with a last fearful glance at Karma and Harper, the Machoke and Primeape cried out in terror and fled the scene in forfeit.

"Those poor pokémon…" Trixie quietly said with a quick grimace. "But all that aside, you two were awesome! I'm so proud you girls!"

With her head held high, Karma simply strut her way elegantly over to her Trainer's side and sat perfectly with her pretty lilac tail wrapped around her legs.

Not one to be prim and proper, Harper reared up like a Ponyta and slammed her front paws down into the dusty ground before throwing her horned head back to howl out perhaps the eeriest battle cry of victory the world had ever heard.

Trixie grinned at seeing her pokémon just as proud as she herself was. But the headstrong Houndoom was a little _too_ fired up to do anything but battle at that moment, so Trixie hopped over the staircase railing and walked into the streets to pick up Harper's Pokéball and prepare to return her. "Alright, time for you to rest a bit. After all, a Hyper Beam of that power must've drained a lot of your energy, right?" clicking the capsule open, she then returned her loyal Pokémon and went back up to the storefront to heal her Espeon with some delicious and sweet-tasting Sitrus berries.

Feeling 100% again, Karma stood up and looked to her Trainer curiously. Trixie's eyes became serious with her mouth curling slightly into a grin, a deadly combination of both sheer determination and a hint of mischievousness. After making sure her Pokémon was ready, she gestured towards the shop door. "Let's find some trouble!"

Trixie kicked down the fragile water-damaged door and barged into Miracle Cycle with her Espeon alongside. Within just seconds of them strutting in, her Pokémon swiftly pounced in front of her to create a shield-like force of psychic energy and protect the two of them from the booming gunshots that consecutively barreled towards them at unimaginable speeds.

The shield disappeared just as quickly as it had been created and the Trainer and Pokémon's attention was now focused on the dark silhouette of the frantic gunman carrying a large backpack and fleeing out the back door.

"Quick thinking, Karma!" Trixie said, "But don't let him get away!"

As the Espeon dashed after the thug with speedy elegance, Trixie released Harper from her Pokéball and sent her chasing after him as well. Harper snarled and howled as she charged outside aggressively in the eerie voice that could only belong to a Houndoom brimming with determination, and Trixie hoped for the pathetic gunman's sake that the Pokémon went easy on him.

Trixie ran after the two outside as quickly as her human legs would allow her and watched as the thug's useless handgun was torn from his grasp and lifted into the sky by Karma's Psychic energy. The man shrieked in a defenseless panic and continued running as Harper was gaining on him, but his endeavors soon proved futile as the vicious Pokémon tackled him down into the nail-littered brick street and ignored his screaming as she Crunched on his arm mercilessly until called off by her Trainer.

"That'll do, sweetie!" Trixie said before returning her raging Houndoom to its Pokéball for rest. "Time to chill for a bit!"

Her proud smirk faded into a serious glare as she walked over to the defeated thug and stood over him pointing an angry finger. "Now, _you! _You tried to shoot my Pokémon!"

The man let out a childish shriek of terror and tried to crawl away backwards, but stopped and screamed once again when he saw Karma standing right behind his head with a sinister grin.

Trixie put her foot on the man's chest, stomping down once as she did so for dramatic effect. "I should feed you to my Houndoom for that! I mean it, too! Food isn't cheap these days for a four-foot dog!"

"Oh, please, no!" the man exclaimed, "I beg you! I don't taste good, I'm wearing Repel!"

At that, Trixie couldn't help but giggle evilly. "I'll spare you another Crunched up arm if you spill the beans on where you were rushing off to."

"Nowhere! Really!" he stuttered, "I was ordered to toss this junk in the sea! I'm just a grunt, I don't have anything valuable!"

"Oh, really? Fit's a bozo like you." Trixie replied as she tossed around Harper's Pokéball, juggling it and spinning it on her finger. "Who do you work for and where should my little doggy go to crush 'em?"

"I don't know, my boss hates me! That's why she gave me Repel and not Max Repel. I already used it all up running from you! That's how cheap it is!"

"It's not cheap at all, it's 350 for one stupid bottle!" she snapped. "Now tell me where your boss is!"

"Ask the red Duskull, she knows _everything!_"

Trixie stared at the man skeptically. "You want me to talk to a Pokémon? Did I give you a concussion or something?"

"Not _a_ Duskull, _the_ Duskull! The stalker!" he replied with a shudder, "She's _everywhere_. In the shadows, in our Pokégears, in the PCs…she's gotta have the info you're looking for!"

"I hope you know my Houndoom can track you down and Fire Fang your stupid-looking face if you're bluffing." Trixie said, "I pity the poor thing for it, but she knows your scent now."

The man nodded shakily in understanding, so Trixie decided to keep playing along. She likely already found Cameron's stolen Pokémon and this guy was useless, anyways.

"Great. Now, how do I find this freaky so-called stalker?" Trixie asked.

"No one knows! Her Rotom and Gengar do all her work." the man explained. "But she watches Trainers and if they don't treat their Pokémon right…she punishes them. That's the only way anyone's ever come close to her."

"Then why hasn't she punished _you?_"

"I don't have any Pokémon…" he frowned, "the boss says I'm too irresponsible."

"Well, your boss is right," Trixie said as she reached down and yanked the backpack from his grasp, "you seem like a real loser."

Having enough of this man's nonsense, Trixie slung the heavy Pokéball-filled backpack over her shoulder and called Karma to her side with a sharp whistle. "I'm outta here, wimp." she said to the man before pointing at him seriously. "But the day I see you in Goldenrod again will be your last, got it?" She flipped on her jacket's hood and looked at the man with one last smirk. "My Pokémon and I own this city, punk."


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

With Ollie gone in the somewhat questionable care of Cameron and Trixie needing to get the bag of Pokéballs she found to a Pokémon Center quickly, she was definitely glad she decided to bring her Arcanine, Ryker, along with her when she left the house earlier that day. She tore his standard red-and-white Pokéball from the belt loops of her shorts and tossed it into the Goldenrod streets. The Arcanine popped out of the tiny Pokéball that was a speck in comparison to the canine that stood a towering six-feet-tall, and cried out a savage roar of confidence that sent every wild Pokémon nearby fleeing for their lives in complete terror. When the scattering Pokémon disappeared and Ryker become aware of his surroundings, the Arcanine joyfully charged over to his Trainer and licked her face repeatedly. Trixie giggled and turned her face away, before running her fingers through the majestic Pokémon's fluffy, luxurious golden mane. "Geez, Ryker," she said with a laugh, "settle down, boy! I'm happy to see you too."

The Arcanine ceased the sweet yet also somewhat gross licking of Trixie's face and circled her excitedly, swishing around his furry oversized tail and unintentionally slapping his Trainer in the face with it over and over. Trixie continued petting him for a few moments, then fed him a delicious Sitrus Berry and attempted to get the Arcanine to calm down.

"Alrighty, Ryker," Trixie said to him, "we've got some important stuff to do. I need you to take us to Ecruteak's Pokémon Center so we can help the Pokémon we found in this bag, okay?"

Ryker nodded his giant head seriously, accepting the challenge.

"Okey dokie, then!" Trixie said before noticing Ryker's Pokéball lying in the streets, "Go get the ball first, though!"

The Arcanine perked up and glanced around, then once the Pokéball was spotted he gracefully ran over to it and picked it up in his large snout. Rushing back over to Trixie, he dropped the slobber-covered Pokéball into her hand and she clipped the capsule back onto the belt loops of her shorts.

"Good boy!" she said, before hopping on his back and holding onto his mane, "Let's go, Ecruteak City awaits us!"

Ryker then let out another loud roar and began charging through Goldenrod City at lightning speed. Trixie felt like some valiant warrior as her long blonde ponytail blew fiercely in the wind while she zipped around on a Pokémon so majestic it was once ranked among the legendaries. She proudly wondered what bystanders thought of her and her regal canine, but then she remembered the extreme speed at which Ryker was running and figured those he passed by likely didn't even catch a glimpse of him.

Within just a few short minutes they had arrived in Ecruteak City. Trixie dismounted the tall Arcanine and after thanking him with a tight hug she returned him to his Pokéball and released Karma once again. "Okay, Karma," she said to the eager Espeon, "we're gonna have a nurse help us open up these Pokéballs and make sure the critters inside them are alright. Sound good, sweetie?"

Apparently understanding enough, Karma wasted no time in hastily running up to the building with her tail quivering in search of any signs of potential danger.

Trixie just sighed and followed her Pokémon to the front doors. "You've _really_ gotta quit doing that, you know."

Karma tilted her head to the side cutely and blinked her beautiful purple eyes as she stared at Trixie, who just shook her own head and giggled at the Pokémon's adorable attempt to look innocent. "Let's just get these Pokémon some help, silly."

The moment the automatic doors of Ecruteak City's Pokémon Center had parted, it was as if Trixie had been hit with the wildly-running emotions of everyone inside. Her compassionate heart became heavy as a Snorlax within her chest and her instincts told her to turn around and flee from the harsh environment she had stepped into, but she couldn't take her eyes off the many frantic nurses rushing down the crowded halls with stretchers on which pitiful Pokémon laid as they fought for their lives. Trixie took a step back and averted her eyes from the tragic scene, focusing them on her equally-saddened Espeon instead. She got out Karma's fancy Pokéball with regret and began to return the tall feline. "I'm sorry, girl... But you don't need to see this."

Trixie then took a deep breath and removed her cap in awkward respect as she glanced around the small waiting room at the many sobbing and anxious Trainers. Noticing a relatively calm elderly man beside her, she decided to ask about the situation. "Excuse me, sir. Is this all because of Goldenrod's damages?"

The gray-haired man gave Trixie a strange look one might give a clueless tourist, then proceeded politely, "That, and the sky-rocketing crime rates over yonder. A lot of people are hurtin' and this is the closest Center they can turn to until Goldenrod rebuilds. I suggest you travel on down to Violet if you've got yourself a Flying critter."

"There's that many patients here?" she asked in reply.

The man nodded his head somberly. "Not to mention they're short staffed. All the Chansey and a couple of nurses from this place just vanished without a trace last night. PCs are down too," he said as he pointed to the latter with a shaky finger, "and all the Pokémon that had been stored in 'em… poof! It's like they were never there. It's a danged conspiracy, I tell you."

Trixie followed the man's gaze over to the PCs. All of the futuristic-looking devices were covered with crime scene tape and being guarded by tall no-nonsense security guards while panicking crowds of Trainers nearly trampled over each other to get to the PCs and beg for their Pokémon back.

After briefly thanking the elderly man for his time and wishing him good luck, Trixie made her way over to the PCs herself and attempted to investigate what was going on.

A fearsomely-huge Biker man with dark dreadlocks and muscles like a Machamp shoved his way past Trixie and the other Trainers to become face-to-face with one of the security guards. "Where are my Cleffa and Igglybuff?" the man demanded as he balled up his hands into fists, "You useless people have been searching since yesterday and have found nothing! I want my precious babies back!"

"We're doing the best we can, buddy." one of the guards replied, "The police have a suspect in mind, but until their whereabouts are uncovered I'm afraid there's nothing that can be done."

The strange Biker fell to his knees in grief and threw his hands up towards the ceiling as he wailed loudly. "Why, Cleffa!?" he shouted, "Why did I have to take you for _granted!?_" As security dragged the man away from the scene, Trixie felt someone tap her on the shoulder. Swiftly turning around, she saw that it was Ecruteak's Nurse Joy.

"Beatrice!" Joy called out in surprise, "What brings you here? Are you alright?"

"Well, my Party's peachy for the most part." Trixie began, "But I did just rescue a batch of stolen Pokéballs. I don't know what's in them, but I have a feeling they could use your help. Do you think you could patch 'em up and help them find their Trainers?"

Joy looked down at the backpack sympathetically. "I see. I'll have them healed up as soon as some beds open."

Joy took the bag and began to walk away, but Trixie blocked her path. "When the beds open? But they need help _now_. I'm searching for someone's Pokémon and they might be fighting for their lives inside those Pokéballs."

The Nurse sighed deeply. "Look around, miss." she said, "Fifteen Nurses went missing last night and over one-hundred newborn Pokémon were snatched right out of their cribs…There's only so much we can do at once right now." And handing Trixie her bag back, Joy turned her tear-filled eyes away from Trixie and rushed down the hallway into a room out of sight.

Trixie then reached back into the pocket of her warm jacket and got out Harper's Pokéball. Once the bright flashing lights surrounding the Houndoom faded and the giant canine emerged fiercely and flawlessly from the sparkling capsule, Trixie put away the Pokéball and stroked the Dark Pokémon's head. "Okay, sweetie! We've got some investigating to do." she said before looking down at the bag of Pokéballs still in need of Potions and medical care, "But first…I think it's time for some shopping."

The Houndoom's eyes shot open wide in pure excitement and with her head thrown back she let out an enthusiastic howl that echoed throughout the grieving and gloomy hospital, sending glares of judgement down upon the young Trainer and her Pokémon responsible. "Sorry…" Trixie whispered awkwardly, but Harper was already charging wildly down the hallways of the Pokémon Center in search of the nearest exit and literally taking down anyone who stood in her way.

"Harper! Wait!" Trixie called after her before breaking into a chase after the crazed canine through the crowded halls, sending obstacle courses of medicine tables and stretchers zooming into patients and their waiting Trainers.

"Control your mutt; this is a hospital!" said a snooty old man.

Trixie paused her chase and turned half-way back around to point a sassy finger at the elderly man she passed by. "Oh yeah? Control your ugly; people are already scared!"

With nothing but a "Hmph!" in reply from the man, Trixie continued running after Harper who had finally found her way to the exit door and escaped outside into the historic streets of Ecruteak City.

As soon as Trixie stepped outside the Pokémon Center, she was taken aback by the sweet aroma of blooming flowers and fresh nature wafting around on a light breeze of clean spring air. The sounds of bird Pokémon singing on nearby routes and the upbeat Asian melodies playing from the Kimono Dance Theater behind the Center only added to the peaceful happiness the city naturally glowed with, but unfortunately Trixie didn't have the time to properly take in all of the beauty. She glanced around her cheerful surroundings and sure enough, she had lost track of her Houndoom once again.

Trixie darted around the mythical city, calling out her beloved Pokémon's name as she ran through alleyways and outdoor shops, getting herself tangled up in dangling paper lanterns and near-jungles of wildly-growing plant vines along the way. However, she hadn't been searching for long when she heard the shrill shrieking of a young child and the words "Get back! Get back!" repeatedly yelled over and over. Knowing her mischievous Houndoom was likely involved somehow, Trixie swiftly followed the sound of the screams and was led to the city's Pokémart where Harper had forced a young boy and his Rattata to resort to climbing up the pole of the mart's revolving sign.

Shoving her way past the crowd of adults that had gathered around the sign to shoo Harper away with useless brooms and mops, Trixie made her way over to her Pokémon and pointed her finger at the rebellious Houndoom. "Harper! No, no, no!" Trixie scolded her, "You do _not_ eat children! You're better than that!"

"Hey lady, keep that thing in its Pokéball!" an employee of the Mart shouted from the crowd.

"I'm sorry, sir!" she apologized, "Harper's really a gentle giant, you'll see!"

As if on cue, Harper then howled out in an impatient rage and began gnawing on the metal pole viciously, leaving thick scrapes and indents on the pole as well as causing a horrid noise as her sharp teeth raked across the metal surface.

"I'm not afraid of you!" the young boy said from atop the pole, "My Rattata is different from regular Rattata! My Rattata is in the top percentage of Rattatas!"

However, despite the young boy's threats to Harper and encouragement to his Rattata, the Rattata scurried down from his Trainer's shoulder and into his Trainer's bag where he got out his own Pokéball and returned himself to the safety of it.

"No!" the boy wailed out loudly, "You were supposed to be top percentage! Why did this happen!?"

As the boy cried in defeat and yelled out unintelligible things about his Rattata, the pole began to rattle and wave back and forth, causing Trixie to give in and get Harper's Pokéball to return her. "Harper, you leave me no other choice! It's time for a time-out!" She pressed the center button of the capsule and tossed the Pokéball towards her gigantic canine, however Harper merely swatted the ball away with her arrow-headed tail and continued violently attacking the Pokémart sign.

"Well, gee." Trixie said with a sigh, "I guess I gotta do this the hard way, then." She then cracked her knuckles and after getting proper footing she began pulling back as hard as she could on Harper's horns in a desperate attempt to remove her from the pole. Soon enough, employees of the Pokémart and people passing by stopped and formed a huge line behind Trixie as they all worked together and helped her try to pull Harper away from the screaming child the Houndoom so badly wanted to murder in the peaceful city streets.

"Please don't eat me!" the young boy cried out before tossing a box of cookies onto the ground from his bag, "Here! Take these! They're from my mommy!"

Immediately Harper released the pole from her mighty jaws and attacked the box of cookies instead, shredding the cardboard into millions of pieces and devouring them as well.

"See, I _told_ you!" Trixie said, "She just wanted some sweets! She really _is_ a gentle giant!"

After finishing the cookies and licking the bricked pavement clean of crumbs, the satiated canine burped out smoke and calmly laid down next to Trixie with her front paws crossed and skinny tail swishing happily.

"This isn't over!" said the young boy as he regained his confidence and climbed down from the pole, "My Rattata is still in the top percentage of all Rattata, and I'm gonna show you! Right after I go change my half pants!"

"You mean your shorts?" Trixie asked.

"These are not shorts!" he corrected, "These are half pants!"

"Whatever you say, kiddo." Trixie said, "I'll gladly kick your butt when I've got more time on my hands, and I bet you another box of those cookies I'll win!"

"It's a deal!" the boy replied as he got out his Pokégear, "Register me as Joey!"

The two exchanged Pokégear numbers and after much rambling about his Rattata the young boy finally started to walk away. "I'll ring you whenever I get the urge to battle!"

Trixie simply nodded in understanding, though she hoped she would never have to see the annoying child again. Once he ran off and the crowd around them began to leave, Trixie found the Pokémart manager and awkwardly started her apology. "Sorry about that." she said with a sheepish smile, "She's pretty stubborn. Any chance you sell leashes?"

The tall manager was not amused by her jokes, and his cold straight-faced expression made him tower all the more over Trixie as she wondered what kind of lawsuit she would soon be forced to face. "Look…" she began to explain, "We just need some medicines and we'll be out of your hair in no time. The Pokémon Center's _bonkers_ right now and my friends really need some help."

The manager uncrossed his gigantic arms and silently held out his hand flat. Trixie sighed and reached into the pocket of her shorts where she got out her Trainer Card and handed it to the man. "Thanks." She said, "A couple Super Potions and Revives should do the trick. And that leash comment wasn't just for laughs, either."

"Paper or plastic?" the man asked, still wearing his fearsome expression.

"Neither." she replied, "I'll buy a tote, too."

Not allowing Trixie or her Pokémon to enter the mart, the manager disappeared into the store to do her shopping and emerged from the automatic doors shortly afterwards with a black-and-white eco-friendly tote bag full of Super Potions and Revives. He tossed the bag on the bricked ground and handed Trixie her Trainer Card back. "Your card was charged extra for my shopping services and also for the cost of the sign you ruined." he said.

Trixie shrugged and began looking through the tote. It was indeed packed full of Super Potions and Revives, as well as a basic red collar and black leather leash. "Thanks!" she said, "Maybe with this leash your next sign will last longer." Trixie giggled at her own joke happily, but when the man remained silent she cleared her throat awkwardly and proceeded to strap the new collar on an unamused Harper and attach the leash as well.

"C'mon Harper," Trixie said to her Pokémon, "I think we wore out our welcome."

Harper then reared up like a Rapidash and took off just as swiftly, charging across the peaceful city once again and dragging Trixie along by the leash as the Trainer desperately tried to keep her footing on the ground but was sliding through the city on her heels instead. The two speedily made their way to a small pond in the North-East of Ecruteak, where Trixie unzipped the duffel bag of Pokéballs and prepared to release the Pokémon contained inside them. "Alrighty," she said to Harper who stood beside her eagerly, "let's cross our fingers that no Snorlax or Steelix pop out and crush us!"

One by one she released the Pokémon from their confinement, all of them beaten and bruised and covered in so many scars Trixie almost couldn't distinguish new injury from old. There were fifteen Pokémon in all, and while there were no Snorlax or Steelix among them, they all happened to be large and fearsome Pokémon such as Arcanine and Dragonite. But perhaps what boggled Trixie's mind the most was the fact that many of them were so rare and from such far away regions that she didn't even know their species names, like one tall magnificent deer Pokémon with beautiful blooming pink flowers covering its antlers.

"You Pokémon should be prized…" Trixie said to them as they laid weakly in front of her, "Why would that mean man be ordered to just toss you in the sea like that?" she shook her head in nonsense, but wasted no time in getting out the Super Potions and opening up the bottles. "Well, no biggie; you're safe with me now, and I won't let anything bad happen to you, okay?"

Trixie then quietly scooted over to the closest Pokémon to her, a full-grown Lapras, and gently pet the docile Pokémon's curled ears while she lightly sprayed its damaged shell until the wounds began fading. She then moved to the next Pokémon, the Dragonite, and cared for its injuries as well. She moved from Pokémon to Pokémon, taking her time with each one and showering them with sweet attention as she did so, until each and every one had been sprayed with Super Potions and shown love. But it would take time for the healing process to be complete, so Trixie and Harper laid down by the pond with the Pokémon all afternoon while they rested until they began to regain their energy and move around. Once they were all healed and feeling 100% again, Trixie returned the Pokémon and Harper to their Pokéballs. Because of the Pokémon Center's chaotic state and most nearby police being overworked in Goldenrod, Trixie planned to pay a visit to the closest person she could trust to look after the stolen Pokémon: Morty, the mystic Gym Leader of Ecruteak City where Trixie received her first of three Badges due to hating Whitney and saving her Gym for last. The Gym was on the opposite side of Ecruteak City however, so Trixie returned Harper and released Ryker who took her to the Gym in no time.

Out of the many Gyms Trixie had visited and seen on TV before, Ecruteak's Gym was still her favorite. Even though she knew it was the work of cheap smoke machines and special light bulbs, she loved the mystical feel of the dark Gym's thick gray fog and the glowing blue flames that surrounded boulders "floating" around the vast room.

As she looked around the gym, she awkwardly made eye contact with a chubby man wearing 1970's-styled purple clothing and standing nearby her at the entrance of the Gym.

"It's you!" he exclaimed, "I remember you… You beat Morty! The battle had me cowering in the corner out of pure terror!" The man rushed over to Trixie enthusiastically, shrieking out in crazed excitement and shaking like he was on a sugar high, "You're a champ in the making! Please, I beg you: let me be your number one fan!"

Trixie chuckled awkwardly. "Oh gee, that sure is kind but I don't think it's necessary-" The man fell to his knees and clasped his hands together, "I beg you! Let me _follow_ you!"

Trixie stared oddly. "Um…okay. I'm just gonna go find Morty." she then ran off as quickly as she could into the Gym's maze of narrow ledges above a seemingly-endless pit of darkness, luckily making it across the ledges quite well despite her hurrying. On the other hand, the crazed fan chased after her in tears and ended up falling off into the pitch-blackness and vanishing without a trace.

Trixie remembered the path leading to Morty fairly well, but whether or not she would be stopped by pesky rookie trainers along the way remained to be seen. She was confident however that she and her Pokémon could easily overcome any battle in Ecruteak's Gym, but she worried that when she reached the end of the maze the free-spirited Gym Leader would be gone searching for legendary Pokémon away from the Gym when she needed his help. But even if Morty was present and she successfully found him in the spooky Gym, that one important question would still loom like a dark cloud: could he help Trixie reunite the stolen Pokémon with their Trainers, or would they be lost forever?


End file.
